Titans West: Eternally Painted Black
by Chocohip2000
Summary: Sequel to TW:ACS! A new villain rises from the depths of black darkness! Based on the song "Paint it Black" By the Rolling Stones. WARNING: may not be suitable to light headed people for it contains a lot of dark content. REVIEW OR PERISH UNDER MY COMMAND
1. Summary

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans. HAPPY?!

Titans West returns with fire and betrayal, as a new enemy rises-- and a close trusted member of the team joins the opposing side. In the mix of urges, hopes of the future and anger that consumes each person, all that is seen is the person itself. And the eternal question is raised: Can people strip away their fears and show themselves for what they really are?

FIRST CHAPTER COMING! WOOT!


	2. Chapter 1

Disclaimer: I don't own Teen Titans or any song sung by Rolling Stones. I don't even know any other song they made other than "Paint It Black" I also know I'm not their most crazy like you might be, but can we leave it at that?

* * *

_**I see a red door and I want it painted black  
No colors anymore I want them to turn black**_

* * *

_Screams ripped through the frigged air, heard for miles around. Birds that had nested in trees flew from the branches and into the air, cawing and squeaking in surprise as a strong gust of wind unsettled the brown brush and bushes. A twelve year old boy ran through the woods at the screams, panting as the cold air chapped his thin, pale skin. He barged into a small house. The next thing to be heard by the world was a blood curdling scream of terror_

* * *

"Lilith." A quivering voice waved through the stale, cold air of the abandoned apartment building. 

A raven haired vixen turned to see the tall, lanky red head stand over her, his limp locks hanging to his brow bones.

"Lilith, are you sure you want to do this? I mean…" The boy, who's name was Cree, bit his capped lips hard enough that the flakey skin ripped and blood was drawn. She quickly put a forefinger over the feeble wound awkwardly. "It's not like it's any use anymore… I mean… Ochtid is dead."

"But I'm not. I'm the whole reason Otchid was born, remember. You said so yourself. And it's the reason you saved me those many years ago." She pushed her hair away from the harsh complexion of her face.

"But that wasn't wh-!"

"And the plan's been settled. The drugs are all good and ready and my powers will be at their peak in a few months." She interrupted him and sighed. "And that FREAK must be killed."

Her eyes narrowed as she looked at the window, where the terrorization was taking place. Citizens were running from a dusty, crumbling building, which had been strong and standing moments before- before she decided that it would be good to see that Adriane girl and her twin would rush to the scene with their other team mates.

"Tell me, Cree. You've been so good for the past week. Will Adriane and Lukane really come if innocent people are in trouble?"

"Yes." He nodded. "Them and the three other people they work with to keep the city people safe."

"Oh? Then why is there only one girl with them?"

Cree rushed to the window to see. Terra had arrived with Adriane and Lukane, but Thunder and Lightning were no where to be found.

"The other pair of twins went to Hsun days ago. They're supposed to be here by now."

Lilith stared at the situation as the three did their best to evacuate people and stop the chaos.

"Right. And there they are now." She scoffed. "Nice timing by the way. There they are." She said in disgust as Thunder had flown in from no where and stopped a large block of concrete from falling on Adriane.

"You could have told me that BEFORE I decided to make the building collapse… Then the concrete would fall on her and no one would help her keep her petty life." Lilith hissed, obviously annoyed that Thunder had arrived with his brother.

"I- They- He- We- Those bandages are obviously something to keep an eye on!" Cree sputtered before he pointed.

Indeed. The boys had bandages coiled all the way up from their left shoulders to the very finger tips of their right hands. Lilith's eye brows rose from their disapproving state. Cree couldn't tell if it was approval in him or she was curious, but his head was spinning too fast to truly tell. He was rarely ever this close to her, as they stood by the window watching. Or Lilith was watching the chaos. Cree was watching Lilith.

"Nice tip." She shrugged. "I want to keep my eye on the shorter twin. The one with the blonde hair… He looks… _manipulatable._" She licked her bottom lip as if she had a plan concocted already.

Cree's face twisted with jealousy and curiosity all at the same time, almost silently vowing himself he'd get his hands around Lightning's neck.

* * *

"BECKY!" Thunder exclaimed, his voice like loud, short rumble of… thunder. 

Becky looked up from the couch and a huge grin lit up her face.

"THUNDER!" She cried out. She jumped up from the tower couch and threw herself in his arms. He wrapped his arms around her and pulled her into a longing kiss. The two held each other tight. They had missed each other.

"You're back!" She smiled as they broke away.

"I missed you so much." He smiled, gently leaning in closer for another kiss.

"GET A ROOM!"

Lightning walked in the room with Adriane, a scowl on his face. "You guys are retarded. Becky practically lives here now and it's totally stupid."

"Shut up, Lightning!" Becky stuck her tongue out at him and threw her arms around Thunder's massively muscular neck and kissed his passionately, but suddenly stopped, feeling the bandages on his arm.

"THUNDER!" She exclaimed, looking up at him.

"It's fine." Thunder insisted, almost looking bashful and proud. "You'll see in a few days."

"Thudner, it's an injury, not gift wrap!"

"Actually, it's vice versa." He whispered to her.

Lightning had sat down at the couch, trying to watch TV and ignore Becky and Thunder snog each other senseless, but his eyes darted toward Adriane from time to time. Adriane caught him a few times and he would always dart his eyes away as if it were some game to him, a smirk on his face and a blush on his cheeks.

Adriane's eye brows furrowed in confusion. She sighed and looked at Lightning.

"What are the bandages for?" She asked.

Lightning ignored her and looked at the screen, acting as if he were interested in the documentary, but he looked to interested to pull it off.

"HEY! Lightning!" Adriane called after him as he continued to ignore her.

Thunder noticed this and looked at Becky. The two seemed to know what was going on with Lightning's behavior. Or at least Thunder did.

Adriane rolled her eyes finally and stalked out.

"What was that about?" Becky asked Lightning in her normal husky voice.

Lightning's eyes darted to Becky, his eyebrows furrowed.

"It's none of your business." He hissed.

"Well, she's my best friend and you're suddenly acting so strange." She barked.

"Well you're always acting strange."

"OH MY GOD AND YOU TOO WE HAVE SOOOO MUCH IN COMMON!" Becky said in a fake, flakey voice and rolled her eyes and went back to kiss Thunder.

* * *

Adriane yawned, stretching like a cat as she walked downstairs. It was six in the morning and no one was awake yet but her. She walked to the kitchen and walked over the cabinet. 

"Hey."

"AH!" Adriane yelled out. She jumped and turned her head to see Lightning sitting at the kitchen table, a sweet smirk on his face

"Oh, hey." She sighed with relief, giggling a bit. "You scared me."

"Heh." He chuckled under his breath.

"So how was Hsan?" She asked.

Lightning's smiled faltered a bit, but he shrugged. "It was fine I guess…" He got up and walked toward her. "I missed you." He said, blushing a bit.

Adriane blinked and blushed. "Well everyone missed you and Thunder." She said.

Lightning quickly swallowed, as if he was swallowing his shyness and looked at her.

"I couldn't stop thinking about you while I was there." He said, giving her a crooked smile as he came closer and next to her, leaning on his shoulder against the cabinet.

"…"

* * *

_**THE END**_

this

is

the

end

of

it

all

and

the

world

will

explod

in

three

seconds.

3

2

1

**JUST KIDDING! XD**

* * *

Adriane blinked. 

Lightning decided he had left his coward behind at the table and locked his eyes with hers.

"Adriane…" He murmured. He placed a hand on her shoulder put his lips closer to her ear.

"I have something I want to show you." He whispered.

His extremely cheeky side had finally kicked in and even though it didn't show, he was totally frightened.

He stepped back after whispering in Adriane's ear and stripped of his pajama shirt.

"LIGHTNING!" Adriane yelped and grabbed cereal bowl to shield her eyes. "Did you catch some disease on the way back?" She asked, getting the wrong idea.

Lightning blinked but the laughed he took the cereal bowl from her and placed it on the table. "It's not like that."

Adriane saw the bandages start up from half way up his chest and coil up to his collar bone and his arms and fingertips.

"Lightning, what happened?" She asked, thinking something horrible had happened.

Lightning blushed and smiled.

Then he undid the bandages.

* * *

Lightning stormed back into his room and kicked his bookcase hard enough for it to shake and sat on his bed, a scowl on his face. He had just come back in from the kitchen with Adriane and he wasn't so please with how things had turned out. 

"_LIGHTNING!" Adriane gapped._

_Tattoos of exotic tribal patterns coiled from the very tips to his fingers stretched out to his collar bone and stopped at his other shoulder blade. Another tattoo had been pasted onto the right side of his chest over his heart. The outlines on his skin we're slightly raised above the surface like a swollen paper cut._

"_I know." He smiled. "I went through a ceremony to get these done… They're-."_

"_They're… Why'd you get them?!" Adriane gasped, obviously appalled at the dark patterns on his skin._

"_I…" Lightning heard the dismay in her voice, and suddenly the reason why he got them had been crushed. "I… They're warrior tattoos." He murmured, making the last bit up._

"_I… Wow." Adriane bit her lip. "Nice job?"_

_Lightning blinked. "Oh what? They're disgusting to you?" He hissed._

"_Lightning.. I'm sorry. But they're freaky tattoos! I mean, they just… I don't know."_

"_Well aren't you so special as to call them freaky!" Lightning barked. "I'm proud of these!"_

"_I said SORRY okay?!"  
_

Lightning looked into the mirror, looking at his tattoos with a pondering expression on his face.

"Adriane, would you l- What if… These tattoos are for…?" He murmured. Adriane wasn't in the room but he was dying to know. "Oh what do I care!" He barked to himself. "Forget it!" He sulked, his arms rested on his legs and head rested down.

* * *

A slinky silhouette of a young woman sat at the edge of the building, looking out at the town's skyline as the night's darkness was just letting up. 

"Lilith?" Cree walked toward her. "You haven't slept at all tonight." Concern lingered in his voice.

"I don't need to sleep." She said back. "He's started to break down now." She licked her bottom lip.

"Why does it matter?" He asked. "We don't even need to bother with the-!"

"Yes, yes we do." Lilith stood up at the edge of the building and looked at him. "We can take them down with one of their own. I've been planning it, you know that."

"But-!"

"She's had a whole team to protect her. If I kill her, I can kill Lukane and then the rest of The Order. But you and I both know I can't do it if the twins are standing in the way. I can't kill them until I reach my peak but I don't want to waste it…"

Lilith stepped away from the ledge and went up to Cree, her body close to his and her lips very close to his own. Cree's cheeks turned a dark red.

"I need it, Cree." She whispered and then stepped away and walked back into the building, leaving Cree to try and regain his composure.

* * *

READ AND REVIEW OR NOTHING WILL HAPPEN NEXT! 

Flamers and peopel who refuse to review will be forced to get a tattoo on their forehead that says "CONNOR WAS HERE."

xD

Stay up for part one


	3. Chapter 2

Disclaimer:

Connor: (singing) Do you know the Teen Titans, the Teen Titans, The Teen Titans? Do you know the Teen Titans, who live in Jump City?

Morian Bloodmoon: (singing) Why yes I know the Teen Titans, the Teen Titans, the Teen Titans. Yes I know the Teen Titans, who live in Jump City.

Both: (dancing and singing together) We don't own the Teen Titans, the Teen Titans, the Teen Titans. We don't own the Teen Titans, but please enjoy this tale!

:D

* * *

_**I see the girls walk by dressed in their summer clothes  
I have to turn my head until my darkness goes**_

* * *

_It was hot out. The open, dark night sky was littered with sky constellation. _

_The humid air was thick enough cut through and the cricket's song was fast paced. Flower's blooms had long been closed and the soft soil bore foot prints of Husan's village people. The firewood outside of the hut was still smoldering and the low, weak flame would crackle and pop from time to time._

_Lightning rolled over in his cot, the sweat beading on the back of his neck. He muttered some curses under his breath as he heard a buzzing insect fly across his ear and over his neck. He snapped his arm over and slapped the bug as it landed on his moist neck. He sighed and rolled over to his back._

_**It's good to be back, huh?**_

_Lightning let his eyes shift over to his brother, who was in a separate cot several feel away._

_**Sure, even if this will be our last time here.**__ Lightning replied, wiping sweat from his brow. __**How's you arm feel?**_

_**It hurts. A lot.**__Thunder audibly winced as he shifted. Discolored bandages were tightly bound from his finger tips to his other shoulder, and over his chest. __**Worth it though. It's your turn tomorrow, right?**_

…_**Yeah.**__Lightning took a glance at his right arm, which was bare for now._

_**I don't get why you're getting it now, though. You don't even know what Adriane will say-**_

_**Well you don't know what Becky's going to say.**_

_**I have a damn good idea.**_

_Lightning snorted through his nose. _

_**I can't believe you like that freak.**_

_**She's MY freak. And I'm her freak.**_

_Lightning sat up on the cot and looked out the hut window. He sighed and shook hair away from his face._

_**I'm going to ask her to MARRY me, Tavis.**_

_Lighting's head turned faster that light itself. _

"_What?" He said out loud. _

_**I love her.**__Thunder answered telepathically. __**And I can't imagine myself being with anyone else for the rest of my life. I know you don't care for her, but you've gotten USED to her. And I KNOW you can't imagine me being with anyone else either.**_

_Lightning grumbled something under his breath. He hated that his brother had Becky to love him back before he did. But it was true. He saw Thunder marrying Becky and living the rest of his life with her as they had kids and grew old. The couple understood each other, loved each other and never got bored of each other. Thunder and Becky were two halves of a whole._

_**Whatever.**__Lightning sighed and lay back down on his side, his front facing the wall._

_**So you get your tattoos, right?**_

_**Yeah.**_

… _**Don't you think that getting them without telling Adriane how you feel is a little… I don't know…**_

_**I don't care what you say! **__Lightning was tempted to spit at his brother. __**Whether she loves me or not, I am devoted to her forever. I will stay by her side, even if it isn't as her lover and just a friend. I'm ready to declare my love for her and I'm not afraid. I'm getting the tattoos because I want everyone to know that.**_

… _**Good night, brother.**__ Thunder sighed and turned over, falling asleep quickly._

_Lightning watched the sky for a while longer and finally sighed, pulling the thin blanket over him and closing his eyes. _

"_Good night, Adriane." He whispered out loud as his mind crept into quiet dreams._

* * *

  
"Tell me AGAIN why we're standing outside in the rainy wet raininess!" Thunder shivered in the cold air.

Lightning sighed and pushed a lock of wet blonde hair out of his face. "Because the people that robbed the twenty-four hour drugstore for creatine did it in the middle of the night when it was raining." He said. "Yay."

Thunder pondered for a moment and then sighed. "I have a question."

"Shoot."

"You know how a manager has to stay at a store or something for as long as the store is open, right?"

"Yeah."

"Well, if that drugstore is open 24-7, even on holidays… Does the manager, like, stay awake all the time and LIVE there? Because that really confuses me."

"UGH." Lightning groaned and slapped her forehead. "I'm sure there's more than one manager. And none of them have lives. Or their robots. Or ninjas. Or robot ninjas." He added sarcastically.

"So the manager of that place was a robot ninja?!" Thunder's face lit up like a 5 year old who just learned why the sky was blue.

"… YES. Thunder. Mr. Miller is a pirate ninja."

"Really?!"

"NO NOT REALLY!" Lightning looked back at his brother with a snarl on his face. It was three in the morning. And it was cold. And wet. And let's just say he wasn't in the best mood in the world.

"…OH." Thunder shrugged and brushed hair away from his face. "Do you think Becky's okay?"

Lightning looked at his brother like he had grown two heads. "Yeah. Why wouldn't she be."

"I mean, we're looking for two bank robbers that are armed and dangerous." Thunder said. "When ever something's going on, even if I know Becky isn't in the area I get… And these guys could be anywhere. I get worried sometimes."

Lightning stared at his brother for a long time then sighed. "Hey, why don't you stop by her apartment and see how she is?" He suggested.

"Wha- Really?! But what about-?"

"Yeah. This is going no where anyway. You owe me though." He said.

Before Thunder could say thanks he was off, excited to see Becky.

Lightning sighed after his brother had fled and looked down at his tattooed arm.

He remembered how painful it was when Chan Ti had sliced his arm with a burning knife and stinging ink. He remembered when he had to get them dressed with bandages and his brother had noticed how much more painful it was for Lightning than him. He remembered the horrible ache he got in his chest when Adriane saw his tattoos and was horrified. And he hated remembering walking into the kitchen the next morning, and how awkward it felt to have Adriane in there then have Thunder and Becky walking in, smiling and giggling, with Thunder's tattoos conveniently revealed.

Lightning sighed painfully and looked elsewhere, trying to forget he got them. If he ignored them, they'd go away, right?

Yeah, right.

Lightning rubbed his temples and nearly jumped in the dark, cold alley.

A short but slinky shadow was standing several feet before him, and it seemed to be staring at him. Lightning stared at it wide eyed in wonder before the silhouette stepped forward to reveal it who it was.

It was Adriane, but her aura was different. It was alluring, but for all of the wrong reasons. She wasn't the Adriane that had woken up that morning.

Lightning wasn't even sure if it was here. Either way, he had suddenly let his guard down and stepped toward her, captivated.

"Adriane…" He murmured, reaching for her.

She dashed away before Lightning's fingers could brush against her skin.

"ADRIANE!" He yelled out after her. He ran after her, but her elongated shadow was the only thing he could catch up with. He raced after her in the twisting turns of alleys ways. He finally lost her and stopped in the back of an old grocery store, the street light above him flickering.

He wiped away drenched hair from his face and sighed, panting. He could see his cold breath come out in cold clouds. He watched them disappear, and in his mind compared them to how he had let Adriane slip away.

He glanced to his left and saw a shadow. He took a double take and there she was again, at the other end of the alley.

"ADRIANE!" He called out again, running after her as she slinked away from the corner and to other side of the building.

He ran around the corner and toppled over, but he landed on something soft.

"FINALLY!" Lightning panted as he helped Adriane up. "I caught you!"

"Caught me?!" Adriane hissed. "Is this a joke to you?! Are we playing hide and seek and you forgot to tell me?!"

Lightning's eager smile faded.

"Wha… You were in that alley near 4th street… and You kept running away…"

"PFFT. No I wasn't." She rolled her eyes.

Lightning looked at her and his heart fell. It hadn't been her. She wasn't standing there in the alley, ready for Lightning to embrace her. The girl standing in front of him now was the REAL authentic Adriane.

"So the girl in the alley way…"

"WHO are you talking about?!"

"I- LOOK OUT!" Lightning exclaimed, grabbing her and practically wrapping himself around her and throwing themselves to the ground as two balls of energy were thrown at them.

Lightning looked up to see a darker, taller silhouette lurking away from them, their hands smoking. The figure took a few steps forward to reveal who they were.

Lightning looked at the person, then at Adriane. Then at the person and at Adriane again.

"Holy… SHOOT!" Lightning yelled out as the villain threw more balls of energy at them again.

Adriane screamed and shot a few streams of violent, pink energy at the figure.

Lightning looked at Adriane. It was her next to him, no doubt about it. But what baffled him was that the girl attacking them was almost her carbon copy. But her complexion much harder, and the angles of her face much sharper. The girl's eyes were cold and hard.

Lightning snapped back into action and shot lightning bolts at him as Adriane pounced at the prey, but the girl escaped in a blink of an eye.

The whole ordeal was over within thirty seconds. Adriane stood frozen in the spot where the girl had been and looked at Lightning.

The two stared at each other for a long time.

"That wasn't me." Adriane shaking her head, in disbelief.

"I know it wasn't." Lightning assured her

"IT WASN'T ME!" She screamed, frightened and troubled now, trembling.

"I KNOW IT WASN"T!" Lightning rushed to her side and put an arm over her shoulders. "It wasn't her. I know that." He coaxed her.

Adriane finally calmed down after murmurs of disbelief and fear. Lightning shushed away her worries for a while until she took in a long deep breath and exhaled.

"That was…"

"Yeah." Lightning nodded. "It was weird."

Adriane sighed, almost ashamed she let herself become so vulnerable. She reached into her pocket and grabbed her communicator, and pressed the button that signaled everyone to get home fast.

"What do you think everyone else will day?" Adriane asked.

"I don't know." Lightning honestly answered.

The whole gang got back to the tower in a hurry. Thunder arrived a bit later though, a huge grin on his face and his hair was more askew even after being in the rain.

Adriane explained everything to the team, and then Lightning told his side of the story, leaving out the part with how the fake Adriane had made him felt vulnerable but safe all at once.

Everyone talked of the possibilities, but Lukane finally decided they should call his and Adriane's mom, since the powers were so alike to hers and that it looked like her.

Adriane grabbed the phone and dialed. She waited for a while as the phone on the other line rang.

"Hello? Wile residents."

"Mom." Adriane murmured.

"OHMIGOSHHISWEETY!" Marie gushed. "HI!"

"Hey, mom. I have something to say…"

"What's wrong?" Marie's tone changed to show she was worried.

Adriane explained the whole story.

"Lukane had a hunch it might be that be.. um… FAMILY related."

"Oh…" Marie paused on the phone. "You might want to sit down."

"What?"

"Let me explain something to you, Adriane." She said. "And The Order has been having suspicions about this for a long time. There's a long back story. You ready."

"Sure."

"I was born with an identical twin, who's name was Sarai.

"Sarai was kidnapped when we were two by an opposing group named "OTCHID." Otchid is an organization similar to ours, but it's not as supernatural as ours. They relay on drugs to get their abilies and they target young men to join and take the drugs. They become powerful killing machines, but their systems deteriorate.

"We looked into some files when you were five… And learned Sarai had died to child birth to a girl. We tried to find her, but it turns out every member was killed off in a mass murder, and the girl- your cousin and some other boy was missing.

"We think your cousin and the boy might still be alive and trying to bring OTCHID back. However, it's strange because she'd have powers of a red dragon and be the only supernatural member ever."

"WOW" Adriane blinked. "That's a lot to take in."

Marie sighed. "I know. I'm sorry I didn't tell you earlier."

"It's fine. But it's good I know now." Adriane smiled a bit, glad to know it wasn't her, just her mom's twin sister's daughter- and her cousin. "So what's new?"

"Well… We were saving it… But…" Marie giggled. "I know you're father wanted to come over to Metal Town and tell you then. But you're father and I are going to have a baby in six months!"

Adriane dropped the phone.

"Hello? HELLO?! ADRIANE!"

Adriane grabbed the phone back up.

"That's funny mom!" Adriane laughed. "I thought you told me you were-!"

"I did."

* * *

"MOM'S GOING TO HAVE A BABY?!" Lukane flipped out.

"In six months. Cool, huh?" Adriane smiled contently, scooping up more vegan ice cream.

"NO! With how clumsy mom is, she could get hurt! Or hurt the baby! I'm surprised WE'RE ALIVE today! Who knows what could happen!" Lukane roared.

Lightning smirked as he walked in the room to hear the conversation between the twins.

"Congrats, Lukane. You must be happy." He teased.

"IT'S NOT MY BABY!" Lukane yelled.

Adriane rolled her eyes. "Dude. Chill. The Order and everyone else is on it to give her good care. Vivian's on it. She's nice. You like her."

"Yeah yeah." Lukane sighed.

"Who's Vivian?" Lightning asked, sitting at the kitchen table with them.

"Dad's sis." Lukane took a big bite of his waffle.

"Ah. I see." Lightning took a gulp of his orange juice and looked inside the cup.

* * *

_Villagers of Husan moaned and cried out in remorse as a large hut was being covered in a black tapestry. Women threw flowers over to the top of the roof and cried, tears streaming down their faces along with their husbands and children._

_Lightning sat on a boulder, watching it all. _

_**It's so strange.**_

_Lightning looked over at his brother, who was sitting on the ground. _

_**The man who raised us is dying but we don't know him that well. Chan Ti is going to be dead soon. **__Thunder continued._

_Lightning looked at his brother, but before he could say anything, a woman rushed over, tears streaming down her face._

"_Chan Ti wants to see you, Tavis." She sniffed, close to sobbing again._

_Lightning blinked, but jumped off the boulder and walked toward the hut everyone surrounded. The village warriors ordered everyone else to be quiet, under direct leader's orders._

_Lightning lifted the tapestry away from the door way and stepped in the muggy, hot room. At the other side was a cot, a man in his early forties lying on it pitifully. His chest would rise and fall with much difficulty. _

_The man's eyes shifted to Lightning._

"_Tavis." He rasped. "Come over here. I want to tell you something."_

_Tavis walked over to the cot and sat beside it on his knees to hear the village leader better._

_Chan Ti was silent for a while, but then he looked at Lightning._

"_Do you know how your mother came to Husan?"_

"_She… can by boat, right?"_

_Chan Ti chuckled. "Yes. She did. She was early in her pregnancy with you and your brother. She was about 17, I suppose, and I was 20. I had been the leader for 8 years. I hadn't even gotten my tattoos yet._

"_Your mother came here and I was fascinated with her. I had never met a person like her before and I began to favorite her out of everyone. A beautiful friendship blossomed between us, but soon I realized what I felt about her was love._

"_I fell in love with your mother a month later after meeting her. I'm not sure what she felt, but as her days grew closer to being a mother, it became more obvious to me that I wanted to spend the rest of my days with her, and even though the child she was pregnant with wasn't mine, I wanted to raise them with her. I wanted her life and my life to become OURS._

"_Of course, she had many complications. I was scared for her, because she was in pain and frightened. But she cared about your lives instead of hers. That's what scared me the most. Suddenly I didn't want her child to even exist because it was putting Tuyen… MY Tuyen in pain."_

_Lightning's eye brows furrowed. Chan Ti clenched his teeth but then relaxed._

"_The village healer told me she was going to die if her baby was born. I panicked and found a few spells to make it from happening. I found one, but the baby would have to die. I tried to talk her into it, but she refused._

"_You have to understand I was scared. I didn't want to lose her now that I had someone I loved. I begged and begged her up until the last minute she was in labor. When she was in labor, I screamed at her for not caring and for being stupid. And she was neither, and I began to cry at how stupid I was, and then I began to cry because she was going to die. I was surprised she didn't hate me for being a coward. But instead she kissed me."_

_Chan Ti stopped, as if he didn't want to go on. He was already using up his last bit of strength by telling the story. He went on._

"_I think she understood how much I was in love with her. I had never told her, but she knew and she understood me. That kiss was the only thing I had left of her. She died a few hours later after giving birth to you and Gan. But before she died I promised her that you and your brother would live on and make her proud. You were conjoined and I separated you both. _

"_Even though she was gone forever, I gave myself the tattoos in her honor. They're for her. I wanted to tell you that because I know the one you love has not shown you love back. But I know you're forever devoted to her. That's the hardest thing to do. _

"_I'll never know if your mother loved me back. I think she loved your father instead. But I even then, she was able to understand my love for her. You have be strong, Tavis. _

"_I know you were ready to get your tattoos long before you got here. You're courageous. You have your mother's bravery. I tried to be as brave as her when I gave myself the tattoos. I…"_

_Chan Ti stopped. Lightning stared at him for a long time before he realized Chan Ti had died. His eyes were glazed over._

_Lightning nearly yelled out in terror. He jumped up and backed away. He hurried out of the tent and away from the crying villagers. Then he ran. He stopped at a river and fell to his knees. He buried his head in his hands and wept for Chan Ti._

_All along Chan Ti had loved their mother and devoted himself to him and last thing he could think about was how he had loved his mother for her bravery. _

_What made it worse was that the nostalgia that Lightning went through every night was similar to Chan Ti's. They both could only IMAGINE what it was like to have their love in their arms, but their lives were about nothing else but who they loved the most. They could rip themselves apart, put themselves in danger and let their souls give into something so low, but it wouldn't matter because their true love was happy and that's all they wanted to hang onto._

_Lightning swallowed and splashing away tears from his face with the spring water. He sniffed and bit his lip, standing up and making his way back to his brother, who was a lingering soul in a large group of mourners._

_**Brother? **__Thunder blinked. His own face had been blank but it showed dismay when he saw his brother had been crying._

_**Let's go home already. **__Lightning replied, wanting to go home to Adriane._

* * *

_**FLAMERS AND NON-REVIEWERS WILL BE ATTACKED BY ROBOT NINJAS!**_


	4. Chapter 3

Disclaimer:

Me: (singing) I don't own Teen Titans

That's all I can say

I don't own teen titans

But read this anyway!

* * *

_**I see a line of cars and they're all painted black  
With flowers and my love both never to come back**_

* * *

BAM. BAM. BAM. 

"LUKANE!" Lightning growled. "OPEN UP ALREADY!" He banged on the bathroom door again.

Lukane mumbled something out that sounded like "Gimme a minute, mate." Lightning groaned and ran his fingers through his hair.

"Having trouble?"

Lightning looked over his shoulder. Adriane her lips pursed. She wasn't pleased either.

"Well yeah, sort of-."

Adriane pushed him aside and banged on the door louder than Lightning had.

"LUKANE! QUIT MASTERBATING ALREADY OR I'LL RIP JIMMY AND THE TWINS OFF!"

Adriane's threat was followed with what sounded like mumbled curses and someone pulling their pants back up before zipping them up.

Lukane opened up the door, panting a bit and trying to conceal his porn magazine.

"I wasn't-!"

"Do it in your room next time, okay?" Adriane demanded. "We got people in the house!"

"…Yes MOM." Lukane hissed, walking off and scratching the back of his head.

Lightning bit his lip, trying to hold back laughter. He was about to shoot a lopsided grin to Adriane in thanks but she was already walking off. She was irritated.

Lightning sighed, feeling hurt and walked into the bathroom, his mouth caught in a frown.

* * *

Cree looked at Lilith and smiled. 

"I got the creatin." He said, proud of what he had done

Lilith stopped brushing her hair and smiled. "That's great!" She said, expecting it but pretending to care. "How'd you get away so quickly?"

"Well that stupid manager of the drugstore was sleepy and out of it, like he was some robot and I just ran in and grabbed it all. Someone tried to stop me but I pointed my gun and -!"

"What did you do to keep them away? You know, those titans." Lilith asked. She shook her head, smirking as Cree drew to a blank. "That's what I thought. I distracted Lightning. He's SO ADD."

"I'm not even going to ask how." Cree rolled his eyes. "I have an idea how anyway."

Lilith stuck her nose in the air and smirked.

"We're going to get him to leave soon anyway."

"What for?" He asked.

"We'll hook him on the idea. But it'll be HIS idea. Then I'll coax him towards the idea like a door opening at the right time."

Cree frowned.

"We need more people to recruit." She hissed. "We're starting with him."

* * *

"GET UP!" 

Lightning groaned and wiped drool away from his mouth and yawned.

"I SAID GET UP!"

A sharp slap struck him across the head. He yowled.

"OW!"

He jumped up out of his desk chair and was face to face with Terra.

"What the hell was that for?!"

Terra scowled. "Guess what time it is."

Lightning blinked and looked at the time on his communicator and blinked. 11 in the evening

"Oh, sorry."

"Do you want to know what you missed, Lightning?!" She almost screamed.

"Um…. No?" He snapped, sitting back in the chair and rubbing his temples.

"AN ATTACK. Again! From the same people! And that Adriane look alike has a friend! Did you know that?! They've been attacking the town for a whole MONTH now. You've slept over a whole attack in sector four and we had to fight with only four people…!"

Lightning let Terra scream at him as he rubbed his temples.

He finally let out an exasperated sigh.

"Geez, I was having a proper dream with out a crazy bitch like you screaming at me…" HE moaned.

Terra snorted out of her nose. "FREAK!" She screamed.

Lightning leaned back in his chair and sighed and Terra stomped off on her rampage.

_Damn, this team sucks. _ He thought, biting his thumb in frustration.

_Adriane hates me and hates my tattoos as well. Thunder is proposing to a girl I can't stand. Lukane hasn't done anything but is still annoying as hell. And Terra is an anorexic BITCH. _He thought. _Damn, I might as well- OW!_

Lightning rubbed the back of his head from Terra's second slap.

"WHAT NOW?!" Lightning barked.

"Since you stepped out of your duties this afternoon, you can go ahead and take midnight stake out." She hissed.

Lightning grumbled to himself and grabbed his jacket. It was going to be chilly out.

* * *

And an hour later, it was. He had exited the headquarters with everyone pissed off at him, and him pissed off at everyone else. He also had some words with Becky as she walked in to visit Thunder. Things weren't going well with him at all. Everyone seemed to be against him these days. He felt like he could leave the team and no one would care. 

He finally stopped flying around the town to keep thing supervised. It was murky out, and the air was frigid. He yawned and sat on the roof of an old warehouse.

And suddenly he thought of the time he saw the Adriane look a like in that alley way.

He had dreamed about Adriane throwing herself in his arms like that, and seeing that apparition in front of him made his knees shake with anticipation. He threw his head back, sighing in exasperation.

Bang

Lightning's eyes snapped open and he jumped up, his ears alert for anything else

And he heard it again. But it was followed with a blood curdling moan. He followed inside the warehouse, where it stopped all to suddenly.

_That's ridiculous._He thought to himself as he listened for it again. _There's no wa-_

"Or is there?"

In a matter of seconds, Lightning turned to see who it was, and panicked. He whipped out his communicator to contact the team, but a whip like stream of energy knocked it out of his hand.

He screamed out in agony, pain binding him like a prisoner bond in metal chains. He fell to the cold concrete floor, writhing in anguish as the bruises popped out gushing blood. The pain melted away as he gasped for breath, the pain gone but the fatigue lingering in every fiber of him. Lightning lay helplessly on the floor as blood trickled down his arms and forehead.

"Astonishing." A voice floated across the room. "Who knew that powers related to what Lukane and Adriane have could come in a completely different form, or even more their cousin. Who knew what they could do. And it's amazing how I can kill you with them if I wanted..."

As he struggled to get up as slow, ominous footsteps made his way.

"But I won't." The husky voice shushed him.

He shifted his eyes to see Lilith standing over him, an evil smirk on her lips.

"NOW. Lightning, is it?" She said. "You're fairly clever for a mutant, so I'm sure you understand a good deal about the sort of spell I've used to bind you. You've seen Adriane do such things, right?"

Lightning's eye brows furrowed, but before he could say anything, Lilith continued, squatting down next to him so he could get a better look of her face and expressions.

"I can sense anger and frustration in people and what causes it. And I know you've been betrayed. Your brother is going to propose to a girl you hate, no one on your silly team sees how much you've been doing, and that Adriane girl refuses to see how you truly feel about her. When people take your trust and use it against you, it's called BETRAYAL. And do you know how to punish people who's betrayed you? You get revenge... ANd revenge is sweet. I can give you revenge... They'll all understand what it's like and they'll feel what I just did to you form the inside and out..."

Lightning's eye brows furrowed and his mouth came into a snarl. It sounded so true. It sounded like the perfect thing to do.

"You'll be on a side that'll appreciate you. You can get glory, riches and everything you've ever wanted. Just join me, Lightning. Consider it a proposal. Join me and you won't be stuck with bastards that never cared about you."  
_  
_Lightning lifted his head up and looked at Lilith straight in the eye, his face saying "I mean business."

"What do I need to do?" He asked.

* * *

"WHERE THE HECK IS HE!" Adriane nearly screamed out.

Terra frowned. "Look, you've asked that seven hundred times along with Thunder… And we don't know. The whole town has kept a look out and Thunder and Lukane haven't sent back any word since they've been on look out."

"He's been missing for three days." Adriane said. "THAR-YEE."

"… What was that last bit?" She asked

"… Three, Terra."

"Oooohhh."

Adriane sighed and fell back on the couch.

"It was your idea to send him out for midnight stake out."

"It was his idea to sleep all day and miss three attacks." Terra threw down her communicator and grabbed the remote, sitting on the arm of the couch.

"HE was probably attacked!' Adriane snapped.

Before Terra could retort at her, her communicator rang. She picked it up and looked at it.

"We have to go to the hospital."

"Wha-?"

"LETS GO." Terra barked.

* * *

Becky was never one to cry. She hadn't cried since she had passed the screaming baby phase and was probably the toughest person ever. When every kid in her class went through the phase of breaking their arms in elementary school, Becky had broken hers along with the rowdy boys. She had made her third grade teacher faint by just looking at her mangled arm on the play ground and saying "huh. That's really interesting." 

But as Thunder sat in the hospital room, the back of his head bruised and ankle wrapped up in gauze, she had let a few spare tears stream down her face.

Thunder smiled at her and kissed her forehead to make her stop.

"It's okay. Nothing serious." Thunder consulted her and gently shushed her as she cried in his arms.

Lukane bit his lip on the hospital bed and then laughed. "Cry bab- AH! NO! NOT IN THE JEWELS!" Lukane screamed as Becky tried to kick him.

Adriane furrowed his eye brows.

"There was no way Lightning did that to you." She said.

Silence overcame the room.

"Well, it was a shock at first…" Thunder said. "I saw Lightning and I thought I found him at first… But then he tried to throw a lightning bolt at me…"

"Actually, it was more like he was aiming at the ceiling than at you." Lukane corrected, as he was always trying to be a know it all. "You know, that's why the ceiling collapsed in that ware house."

"Are you sure it was him?" Terra asked, biting her lip.

Thunder looked rather confused and sad himself, but he nodded. "I wasn't sure if it was him or not at first." He said. "But I'd know my brother anywhere. It was the black tee shirt that threw me off."

Adriane took her thumb nail out of her mouth and sighed.

"There is no way. Unless he was brainwashed. Or blackmailed." She retorted angrily.

"I'd know him anywhere, Adriane." Thunder sighed as he pulled Becky a bit closer.

Everyone stared at each other for the longest time. The only thing that could be heard was the chatter of patients and doctors in the hospital hallways and secretaries clacking away at their key boards. The rest of the world seemed to be unaware of the team's silent stress.

"Now what?" Becky asked.

* * *

Non-reviewers and flamers will be slapped in their sleep and FED to Lilith. 


	5. Chapter 4

Disclaimer: I am in no association or part of ownership with Teen Titans

_**Disclaimer:**_** I am in no association or part of ownership with Teen Titans. All rights of Teen Titans are reserved with DC Comic Inc. Please support the original release. Got it? GOOD.**

**Everything that happens in this story is 100 nothing but fan work and nothing else. So the only time you're looking at the real thing is when you watch the cartoon or reading the comic books. Got it? Good.**

**All fan-made characters are mine however, and any resemblance to actual events or locales or persons, living or dead, is entirely and purely coincidental. Don't use 'em. Got it? GOOD.**

Authors Note: GUESS WHO'S BACK! 8D I know it's been five months, so for the next week, you're getting FIVE NEW CHAPTERS to hold you over until I write the next few. :P ANYWAY! On with the tale!  
--

**I see people turn their heads and quickly look away  
Like a new born baby it just happens every day**

"Have I told you that we're welcome to have you on the team, Lightning?" Lilith grinned.

The blond smiled at the short, black haired girl in front of her.

"Why yes you have. And thanks. It's good to be here." He replied.

"Don't expect any special treatment!" Cree mouthed at the blond as he picked at a scab.

But he got a lot of it. Lightning had joined Otchid that chilly night and now, whether or not the Titans West cared, he was on the other side and showed no signs of crawling back. He felt appreciated, happy and satisfied with his new life. Instead of being criticized, he was praised for everything he did, whether it was robbing more creatin or pulling random attacks at Titans West. Lilith constantly reminded him that he was a good member of the team- better than she could have ever imagined. Maybe it was because he knew how the Titans West worked. And as the group sat in the abandoned warehouse like they always did, the praises went on an on.

"I can't explain how happy I feel. We were in such a rut, Lightning. We thought we were going to fall and crumble." Lilith put on a saddened façade. "You practically saved us. You're like a… A…"

"Lilith, I'm just happy to be here. I'm glad about what I can do." Lightning smiled and stood in triumph.

Lilith grinned as Lightning looked away and basked in his own glory. The vixen looked at Cree, who was more in the mood for scowling, but he smiled anyway- For Lilith's sake.

"Lightning-"

The young man looked at her. "Hmm?"

"I… I'm going to be away for a bit. I know you've done such a good job…" She ran her finger tips over his shoulder. "Can you take care of things for me?"

Lightning quirked an eyebrow. "Sure. What are you leaving for?"

"Well…" She smiled up at him seductively. "It's sort of for you…"

The human sparkler's heart fluttered. The ghastly red-head stopped picking at his scabs and nearly growled.

"Y-yeah." Lightning flashed her a grin, and it came out all silly instead of suave. "When are you leaving?"

"Now. See you then." She stepped back then out the door. When Lightning peeked his head out the door to try and watch her walk away, she was gone.

"WOW." Lightning smiled. "That was… She's a-!"

"YEAH YEAH. You're a freakin' Casanova!" Cree threw a ratty tee shirt at his new competition. "She probably wants you to get rid of that silly yellow shirt. Why dontcha change?"

Lighting scoffed as Cree went to organize some syringes of muscle building drugs. He picked up the black shirt, peeled off his old shirt and put on the other one.

"Say, what are we doing anyway?" Lightning asked Cree.

The red head shot him a glare. "Don't you know ANYTHING? We're trying to take down Lukane and Adriane then take down The Order. It's simple really. It'll take a few months before we can though."

Lightning blinked. "Why not now? Why is it going to take-?"

"Because something happens in a few months that will make it work." Cree's voice sounded pained when he said that.

"But what-?"

"HEY! Quit talking! You're obnoxious!"

Lightning sighed and sat on the floor. He watched Cree organize the drugs and blinked.

"Need help with those?"

"You'll only mess things up." Cree shot him a snarl. "Lilith might THINK you're a-!"

"A what?" Lightning smirked. "A savior? A life saver? A knight in shining armor?"

"Shut. The hell. Up."

"FINE."

"GOOD!"

_Tavis couldn't stop crying._

"_Brother, come on!" He tried to shake his brother awake. But Gan had been drugged by Chan Ti to kill his terminal fever, but the large boy would be asleep for days._

"_STOP CRYING!"_

_Chan Ti stormed over to the 10-year old boy and slapped him across the face. "You're pathetic! He's going to be alright as long as you don't PESTER him to death!"_

"_B-bu-but his f-f-fe-fev-feve-!"_

"_SHUT UP!" Chan Ti roared. "You're 11 years old! Learn to grow UP! Imagine how ashamed your mother must feel! She sacrificed her own live to give birth to you two and you're being nothing but a coward! You're mother was the bravest person I knew and you… You're being-!"_

_Chan Ti stopped. The pale boy was no longer listening and had curled up into a ball by his brother's bed and continued to weep. _

"_I'm scared." Tavis managed to gasp._

"… _I know you are."_

"_Wh-what if he doesn't wake up?" The boy looked up at the village leader. "He may never…"_

"_Tavis, he's going to wake up soon. You're mother would never let you both fall into something you can't get out of." Chan Ti assured him, but he was trying to convince himself of such a thing._

"_I'm SCARED." Tavis continued to sob._

_Suddenly, the tall but lanky boy felt a pair of arms catch him up in a hug._

"_He's going to be okay." Chan Ti said as he hugged the boy. "Everything will be okay. Your mom is watching over you."_

_Tavis froze in the hug, tears falling from his face, but he finally managed to stop crying again and hug his father-like friend back._

"AAAAAAAARGH!"

"Lightning, wake up!"

Lightning was suddenly aware that he was being slapped in the face

"Jesus, wake up!"

"I'm up; I'm up, JESUS…" He screamed as he recognized the voice.

"Lightning! Wake up now!"

Lightning fought back at Cree, who was shaking him to wake up.

"OW! For the love of-! I'M UP, STOP HITTING ME!"

"WAKE UP, LIGHTNING!"

Lightning felt a splash of water hit his face and he choked on the water.

"I. Was. Up," he growled, pushing the tattered blanket away from him. The pale youngster rolled off the cot and yawned.

"You were crying in your sleep." Cree taunted him as he walked away.

Lightning stopped halfway in his yawn.

"W-what?"

"What if he dies? I'm scared! Wake up, brother! Stop being sick!" Cree mocked the younger man as he repeated the things Lightning had cried out in his sleep. "Are you SURE you hate your brother like you told Lilit-!"

"At least _I_ didn't watch Lilith shower the other day."

Cree gagged on his own spit. "OH. No. You. Didn't."

"Don't worry. She'll find it really interesting when I tel-!"

"YOU LITTLE ASS-FACE!" Cree lunged at Lightning, taking him to the ground and tried to strangle him.

"GET YOUR HANDS OFF OF ME!" Lightning barked, punching Cree in the neck. The red head gagged and rolled off his opponent.

Lightning wheezed for breath and Cree rubbed his neck. The two were silent for a moment, but finally Cree spoke up.

"I've been protecting Lilith for as long as I can remember. My memories start the moment I met her. Touch her in anyway and I swear I WILL KILL YOU."

"I'm sure Lilith wouldn't like that."

"Well, she'd have to deal with it.

_**ALL NON-REVIEWERS AND FLAMERS WILL BE HUGGED TO DEATH BY CHAN TI.**_

_**I'm sorry this was weak, but keep in mind it's 2 AM here at this very moment. Time for sleepy!**_


	6. Chapter 5

Disclaimer: I am not associated nor do I own Teen Titans in anyway. Everything that happens in this story is 100 nothing but fan work and nothing else. So the only time you're looking at the real thing is when you watch the cartoon or reading the comic books. Got it? Good.

* * *

**I look inside myself and see my heart is black  
I see my red door and it has been painted black**

* * *

After watching many spy movies, Adriane always wondered what it would be like to live in a penthouse. She imagined that she would have sophisticated friends that owned night clubs and bars and cool indie shops. The balcony of the top floor apartment would have an amazing nighttime view of the never-sleeping urban city.

That being said, Adriane often wondered how the heck she got stuck in an underground layer for super heroes. To her, it was the worst because she always knew when it rained- the sound of rain pounding the ground above them would echo in her room.

Adriane rolled over in her bed, sighing to herself. Weeks had passed since Lightning had joined the other side for reasons unknown to her team.

The black haired girl threw a pillow on the ground once she finally got up. She had woken up 4 hours ago, at 1 in the morning. She couldn't sleep, however. She didn't want to get up and remember that Lightning wasn't there in the kitchen to talk with her.

Whatever. That didn't matter anymore. He was gone and she still had other people on the team.

Adriane yawned and stepped into the tiled kitchen, grabbing a box of cocoa puffs and yawning again.

"That sugary cereal isn't going to help you wake up."

Adriane yelped at the voice and turned her head.

"Chocolate is only going to give you a sugar crash." Thunder said. He was at the kitchen table with an apple.

"Don't scare me like that!" Adriane barked and slammed down the bowl. "I'll have an apple if it makes you happy.

The large young man smiled. "Those are better at waking you up."

"What are you doing up anyway?" She asked, sitting at the table across from him. "It's 6 in the morning."

"Didn't you and my brother used to hang out in the kitchen at like, one in the morning?" Thunder ignored her first question.

"Thunder, what has that got to do with anything?" Adriane took a bite of her apple. "And yeah… We would."

"There's something I think you should know."

Adriane looked up.

"What?"

"Do you… know what the tattoos my brother and I got are for?'

Adriane didn't miss a beat. "He said they were 'warrior tattoos." She said. "I was a little shocked when he showed them to me… I mean, he practically ripped off his shirt and-!"

"Adriane, these aren't warrior tattoos." Thunder was growing impatient. He nearly growled when he saw the puzzled look on Adriane's face.

"Well then what are they for-?"

"Let me tell you something. In Husan, when a guy is ready to be with someone for the rest of their life, like you know- boyfriend and girlfriend- you get tattoos stretching from your fingers to your other shoulder and one over your heart."

"Wha-!" Adriane knew where this was going. "Look, Thunder… It's great you got these tattoos for Becky and all, but what do I have-!"

"Adriane, the night before Lightning was going to get them, he said something you should know-"

"THUNDER I reallythinkyoushouldshutupnow-!"

"LIGHTNING told me that he was ready to get them for you. He didn't know how you felt about him, but in Husan, we know pretty quickly about who we want to spend the rest of our lives with."

"…"

"And… he's devoted to you forever. He doesn't care if you loved him or not. He said even if you didn't, he wanted to be by your side forever. Even if it was as a friend. He wanted everyone to know that. He said he wasn't afraid."

"Thudner, come on, you can't say that-!"

"My brother got the tattoos because he's in love with you, Adriane." Thunder concluded. "And I know you were intrigued to him for a while. Was there anything you might have said that made him feel otherwise?"

"I… He- But that's not- NO! It doesn't even matter now! He's-!"

"Adriane, did you?"

"It doesn't matter! He quit and betrayed us! Are you forgetting what he did to you? To US?! To our team?" Adriane yelled.

"Adriane, he's my BROTHER."

"Then tell me why he did this to us!" She barked. "Would he really do that if he was your brother? You shouldn't try to understand his motives! You should be MAD! He tried to HURT you!"

"I know." Thunder mumbled. "I just… I can't. I WANT to understand."

"Well I don't! I don't care if he loved me or still does! If he loved me, he wouldn't do that! Did you say he wanted to 'stay devoted?"

"…!"

"My point exactly. And you want to know something? I'm GLAD he has those tattoos. I hope that every time he looks at them, he's ASHAMED of himself. He makes me SICK."

The black haired girl quickly got up and stomped out of the kitchen, neglecting to pick up the chair she knocked over.

Lukane sighed, sulking in his chair. The rain pounding outside could still be heard in the tower as everyone moped around, read, or did whatever to keep their mind off of the miserable states of their lives.

"I'm bored."

"Yes. We KNOW that already!" Terra scoffed, flipping a page of her magazine.

Lukane stared at his leader a bit before moving from the chair to the couch she was sitting in. Then he waited a few more minutes before he scooted next to her and their shoulders were touching.

"Lukane."

"Yes, my precious?"

The skinny leader glared at the smiling blond boy.

"GET. Off of. The couch."

"Yes ma'am." Lukane obeyed, but he sat on the floor, staring up at her.

Terra growled, obviously upset, glared at her team mate again.

"LUKANE. How many times do I HAVE TO TELL YOU?!" She growled. "I'm not interested."

"I'm just checking!" Lukane sighed. "…How about now?"

"Oh for the love of- I've got better things to do!" Terra barked at him and stood up, "That reminds me anyway…"

"What does it remind you of?" Lukane followed her as she walked toward the team meeting table.

"We have a new member coming soon."

The anorexic girl pressed a button on her communicator and soon Adriane and Thunder walked in.

"What is it?" Adriane yawned.

"Okay, so since we've had… a shortage of team members…"

Thunder groaned and Adriane scoffed.

"We have a new team member joining in a few days."

Everyone started up.

"Wait, WHAT?" "It better not be Hot Spot, he was weird!" "Who is it?" "Is he a girl?"

"QUIET!" Terra barked. "Anyway, Thunder. You should be able to remember her. It's Wonder Girl."

"Wonder Girl?" Adriane cocked her head. "That girl? I thought she was dead."

"What?! NO! Why would you think that?"

"Didn't she have a baby with some weird dude after her 20 year old son died and then she went to the Hard Rock Hotel and overdose on drugs, dying and lighting up a feud on who's her baby's daddy?"

"… ADRIANE. That was Anna Nicole Smith."

"… Oh yeah!"

"Does anyone have any objections?"

"SHE IS NOT GOING TO REPLACE MY BROTHER!" Thunder stood up, pounding his fist on the table.

"She ISN'T. She's making her spot on the team. Besides, she's nice and you liked her when you met her."

The large young man grumbled to himself.

"So are you okay with it Thunder?"

"Yeah, yeah." He grumbled a bit louder.

"Good? Anyone else?"

"Nope." Lukane shook his head.

"Where will she be staying, anyway?"

"She'll be taking the spare room in the girls wing, Adriane. So can you clean it out for me? I have to make a few calls about her flight and it'd be a huge help."

"Yeah, sure thing."

"Thanks. Meeting adjourned."

* * *

_**ANYONE WHO FLAMES AND DOESN'T REVIEW WILL BE SLAPPED IN THE HEAD WITH A TATTOOED ARM.**_


	7. Chapter 6

Disclaimer: Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. Teen Titans is owned by DC Comics and Cartoon Network. I am not associated with nor do I own Teen Titans in anyway. Everything that happens in this story is 100 nothing but fan work and nothing else. So the only time you're looking at the real thing is when you watch the cartoon or reading the comic books. Got it? Good.

* * *

**Maybe then Ill fade away and not have to face the facts  
Its not easy facing up when your whole world is black**

* * *

"I'm not touching you."

"That's great."

"Iiii'm not touchiinnngg yoouuuu."

"Woot."

"I'm not-!"

"ALRIGHT! STOP NOT TOUCHING ME!"

"…"

"…"

"…"

"Touch."

"BAD TOUCH! BAD TOUCH! BAD TOUCH!"

Lukane scoffed and scooted back to the passenger seat. "Fine. I'll just count the cactus's outside off the road."

"GOOD!" Adriane blew a raseberry at him and looked at the GPS.

"Hey sis." Lukane looked up from the book Little Women he had been looking at for barely two seconds. "How much longer until we get back home?"

"We have exactly 500 miles, Luke." The dark haired girl sighed. "So technically we have a long way to go."

"Aw." The blond rolled his eyes. "Say, Wonder Girl is going to be there, right?"

"Yeah." Adriane nodded then cursed, realizing they missed the exit.

The two had been concerned for their pregnant mother, so they took a brief (pfft, yeah right!) road trip to visit their parents. Terra was upset over the sudden leave of absence, but the two promised to be back as soon as they could.

"Adriane…" Lukane yawned. "Can we go to a Starbucks? Preferably the one we were at earlier? I need caffeine and that coffee barista was HOT." The boy brushed off a few chip crumbs off his skinny jeans and looked at his sister through the rear view mirror.

"Lukane, you fall in love with every chick that comes around." Adriane laughed and stepped on the gas.

"Neh. I can't help it. Women are HOT."

"Sooooo glad you only prefer blonds. That's assures me that you don't like Becky."

Lukane sighed. "Becky's just WEIRD. And it's not that I prefer blonds. I mean, just because I'm ga-ga for Terra all the time…"

"Oh yeah, that was that one Hindu girl at Borders you tried to hit on…"

"I try to hit on her on a monthly basis! I swear, she's on the rag every time!" Lukane scoffed and reached for his sister's iPod. The girl didn't bother to slap his hand.

"What makes you think that?"

"Because everytime I go there, she bitches to her co-worker about how she's bloating and crap. I mean, she's probably just using that as a crutch for being a bitch or something."

Adriane paused for a moment as her brother put her pink ear buds in his ears and held the pink mp3 in his hand.

"How often do you go see her?"

"Once a month."

"And do you, I don't know… Happen to hit on around the same time of every month?" She switched lanes for a short cut.

"Yes! Indeed! I do! For scrap booking and knitting club." Lukane scoffed. "And every time she-!"

"Lukane, has it ever occurred to you that women go through their monthlies during the same time of every month?

"Well… No. What's that got to do with anything?" The blond asked.

"Nothing." The brunette said quickly.

"How about you? Do YOU have a love life or anything?" Lukane asked.

"What brought this up?"

"I mean, you never talk much about that crap." The boy shrugged. "I mean, seriously."

"Well… There was this guy at that CD store…" Adriane shrugged and smiled a bit. "He's kind of shy and awkward, but he seemed interested."

"When was this?"

"Before we left. I needed to buy this old album iTunes didn't sell."

The boy was silent and kept a scowl on his face. He hurried to the "recently added' playlist on her sister's iPod and scoffed at the album done by some band by "The Coathangers'

"He's from Atlanta. And he said that even though I wouldn't be able to find Tinkture, I'd like The Coathangers a lot. They're a local band from that area, you know…. From Atlanta. And he was right! He's really sweet." Adriane said, but the boy noticed how her heart wasn't into it.

Lukane never had the guts to connect with the team- he was fine with online chats with his cousins and being occasionally teased. But he noticed the tension that fell upon the team when Lightning left. And his sister was exceptionally tense.

"Hey, what's that one dude you found about a month ago?" He asked.

"What guy?" Adriane turned on her headlights so they were brighter against the dark pavement. It was practically midnight now, and they were barely a few a hours away from Metal town.

"That British rapper." The blond looked for it on the iPod under the playlist "Fun with Lightning."

"Oh yeah. Example. He's… okay." Adriane said, all hush-hush.

"Didn't Lightning introduce you to that guy?" He asked.

"Yes." Adriane tightened the grip on the steering wheel and grimaced.

Lukane sat up and tossed the iPod aside. "Adriane… I spoke to Thunder about this… And…"

He looked up at his sister. She didn't seem upset yet… But we wanted to get his point across before she exploded. She NEEDED to hear this.

"It's just… You were gushing about Example and trying to illegally download his music off his myspace after Lightning introduced you to his album." He swallowed. "And… We all pretty much knew he liked you. You have this thing with guys when they introduce you to new bands… He wanted to get your attention and…"

Lukane stopped and shifted in his seat. He slipped off his skater sneakers and put them under the car seat before laying across the back seat to relax.

"I mean, it's not like we noticed that you liked him too. You always wanted to hang out with him after that and you kind of had that… Chemistry, I guess."

The boy looked at the back of his sister's head as she drove, then at her reflection in the car mirror. Her eyes were moist and her mouth clamped shut. The boy yawned, the caffeine having long left his body and drowsiness setting in.

"Adr-"

"Lukane… Lightning left the team." Adriane said, trying not to let her voice crack.

"I know, Adriane. But… I just… It was hard to ignore what we saw with you and Lightning then. You know, everyone on the team saw it between you. You digged each other but never wanted to talk admit it to the other. The fear of rejection was always there, you know? For both of you."

"Why did this come up?" The girl asked.

"I just…" Lukane tried to keep his eyes open. "I dunno." Lukane rolled over in the back seats, his back turned against his sister as he drifted off to sleep.

Adriane sniffed. She couldn't really DENY that she had feelings for Lightning. She always tried to hide them by being moody or defensive. But no matter what, she could NOT stop thinking about the morning he tried to show her his tattoos. They weren't creepy like she had told him they were. She saw those tattoos to be powerful, strong, and defensive. She LIKED them, and even thought they were a little... _sexy. _But they bothered her. She didn't understand why Lightning would just get them before saying anything to her. After listening to what Thunder had said about Lightning's feelings for her, she couldn't help but wonder what might have happened. What if she HAD told him how she felt? Would they get together like she had hoped? Would she finally put her guard down and tell him that she really did LIKE his tattoos when he had gotten them? Would the relationship work out? Did he really love her and was he REALLY devoted to her?

If so, why'd he leave to join the very side they were against?

The car rolled to a stop at a rest stop as the brunette behind the wheel slowly put the car in 'park' and turned the ignition off. She felt tears run down her face, sniffing a bit and covering her mouth to muffle the squeak of a sob.

* * *

_**IF YOU FLAME/DON'T REVIEW, YOU'RE GOING TO GET RUN OVER BY A PMS-ING BORDERS EMPLOYEE IN THE DEAD OF THE NIGHT! **_(And I really mean it.)


	8. Chapter 7

Disclaimer: The fanfiction

**Disclaimer:** The administrator who makes us write these likes a boy in uniform _IF YOU KNOW WHAT I MEAN._

Anyway, to keep him happy I'm telling you that I do NOT own Teen Titans. I also have no association, connection, or affiliation with them. This literary work is purely fan-based and has no impact on the actual series plot. I do not make any profit from writing this fanfiction. In fact, I lose time, money, and sleep when I write this. I COULD be outside doing something else like meeting other members of the glorious human race or contributing a way to stop global warming but here I am, wasting time and precious energy in a dark room when my air conditioning is broken!!

Anyway, enjoy your crappy fan-based story!

* * *

Even though the blond team leader was in the worst of dumps, the girl managed to smile at Becky when she came to the door.

"Hi Terra." The young Hispanic woman smiled. "Can Adriane come out and help me take over the world?"

Terra smiled tiredly. "Sorry, Becky. She went out to that record store again."

"That place?" Becky sighed. "That SUCKS. I wanted to talk to her."

Terra quirked an eye brow as Becky waltzed into the Tower. Sure, Becky was welcome anytime but Adriane wasn't even there. Terra could hear her hum some catchy pop tune, but she couldn't put her finger one what song she was humming.

"I wanted to talk to Adriane and make her listen to something." Becky sadly sighed.

"I'll talk and listen." Terra offered, surprising herself. She was tired, so shouldn't she focus on getting Becky out of there?

Becky turned around and fiddled with her messenger bag. "Really?"

The leader waited for a moment to think before answering.

"Well, yeah. As leader, I have to make sure all of the members are happy, and you're close with the members. So I would like to be aware of the issues and stuff, you know?"

"That sounds really… Leaderly." Becky smiled, sitting on the circular couch and operating the XBOX. The girl hung out at the headquarters so much that she even knew how to work the security system.

"Really?" Terra blinked. "Wait, if you wanted to talk why are you…?" The girl blinked as Becky grabbed a controller and logged into a Halo 3 game for 2 players.

"Adriane and I always talk over video games. Come on." Becky tossed Terra the controller.

Terra shrugged. As much of a leader as she was, she certainly didn't know how Adriane and Becky 'talked' over video games.

Terra logged into her settings and sighed.

"So…. Whats going on?" Terra asked as she moved toward the elevator in the game.

"Well, since Adriane isn't here, I can talk to you about stuff I can't with Adriane." Becky stopped humming and played to pick up a new gun. "Have you heard about Milo?"

"Milo?" Terra nodded. "Yeah, Adriane was freaking out yesterday about him and that Tiger Tunes CD he gave her."

"I don't like how she freaks out over that guy like she's Julie Andrews on pot." Becky gagged but quickly smiled at her success in the game. "I kill you dead!"

Terra looked back at the screen and gawked. "WHAT?! No way! Already?"

Becky smiled. "Yeah, you might want to try and catch up with me. I might decide I don't want to talk to you if you keep playing like this." Becky slipped off her clunky skater shoes.

"So…" Terra tried to pay more attention this time. "Don't you like Milo?"

"Well, he reminds me of Marten from Questionable Content." Becky shrugged, crossing her legs and leaning back in the sofa. "He's a fumbling, shy, but understanding guy that'll do anything for his lady."

Terra smiled. "Aw, that's sweet."

"Yeah, it makes me sick."

"Wha… What?"

"I'm sorry, but…" Becky paused the game. "Didn't you ever notice that Adriane had a thing for Lightning?"

Terra tried to keep a poker face. "Well… Yes. But I think she's doing the right thing."

"What 'thing' is she rightly doing?" Becky crossed her arms.

"Well, Lightning has been gone. And she wants to get over it, so she's averting her attention to someone who's nice and who'll treat her correctly."

Becky tsked Terra. "Terra, Terra, Terra, Terra, Terra, Terra. Terra. TERRA."

"What?!"

"Adriane had a HUGE thing for Lightning, and he for her." She sighed. "When two people are so connected to each other that they feel the same but never say anything, they just don't get OVER it."

"Well, they could try."

Becky said nothing. She just resumed with the game and Terra played along. Even over the roar of gun shots and panicked Covenant squeals of death, Terra could still hear her hum the Pipette's song.

"Becky, I swear." Terra laughed. "You're the last girl I'd think would like The Pipettes."

Becky let out a terribly exasperated sigh. "I can't help it. That uniform song is so irritatingly catchy!"

Terra thought for about two seconds before looking back at Becky.

"It's like an irritating song, right?"

"Huh?" Becky averted her attention from the game and looked back at her.

"It's like when someone likes a song. They can't get enough of the song so it's stuck in their head. I bet Adriane has a 'song' stuck in her head like Lighting does."

Becky stared at her. "That's… an interesting analogy."

"Thanks!"

"Not to mention very cheesy and dumb."

"HEY!" Terra frowned. Becky just smiled and put down the controller. "I'm going to get some chips."

"I'll get some soda." Terra said cheerfully as the two got up and went to the kitchen. "So what were you going to talk about with Adriane?" When the girl turned back to face her team mate's friend, Becky had a sudden pink flush of glee on her cheeks.

"Oh, that…" Becky smiled. "I think…" The girl put her hands on her face in a dreamy and out-of-character way. Sort of like a girl who day dreams about her boyfriend during class.

"Well...?"

"I think Thunder's going to propose to me."

* * *

"Sooooooooo?"

Cree peered over the pages of his frayed 80's magazine to look up at Lightning. Lilith was still gone, the boys hated each other and the only way to amuse themselves was annoy one another.

"What?"

Lightning frowned. "What are you thinking about?"

Cree threw down the magazine. The two were sitting in two beat up bean bag chairs that they had gotten from the dumpster and had placed in the warehouse 'living area.'

"That's the dumbest question in the world!" Cree spat at the blond. "I mean, when people ask that question, what do they REALLY want as an answer?! They only ask that question so they can hear 'I dunno' and kill 5 seconds worth of time during an awkward silence."

Lightning's mouth curled into an all knowing smirk. "I bet you were thinking about Lilith."

"What's it to you?!"

"And having sex with Lilith."

"UGH!" Cree grabbed an old Chinese food carton and threw it at him. "You're a pig!"

Lightning gagged at the 3 day old noodles that had been thrown on him. He flicked away a cold, slimy piece of chicken from his bangs and laughed. "Come on, man. I was kidding!" He scoffed, but when Cree looked away, Lightning just smirked again.

"Besides, we were both thinking about it." He said. "I mean, she's a very attractive girl, and-!"

The brawl had started before Lightning could finishe. Cree lunged at him faster than Lightning could blink and Lightning tried to push the flaming red head off of his neck.

"LET. GO. OF. MY. NECK!" Lightning choked as Cree just wrapped his fingers around the boy's neck and squeezed. Lightning gagged and gasped for air when Cree let go after moments of strangling.

"DAMMIT!" Lightning rubbed the red hand prints on his neck. "For a skinny dude you sure've got a grip!"

Cree spit in Lightning's eye. "Yeah, well I decided not to kill you." Cree said and stood up. Lightning swallowed at the death threat.

"I decided not to kill you because I know it's not true." Cree continued and Lightning stood up. "I've seen how you look at that thing."

"What thing?" Lightning blinked.

"You know what thing."

"Wait…" Lightning thought hard before realizing what Cree meant. "You mean Adriane? She… She's not a thing!"

Cree scoffed. "She's a thing. It. That. She, her brother and the rest of those Titans are nothing but insects. They scuttled around on the ground and are just asking to be stomped on. This whole city and WORLD is. You're one of them two, but you just got lucky. Lilith locked you inside of a jar for fun and you'll live until she forgets to leave the lid open and you suffocate."

Lightning swallowed. "Gee. Thanks."

"And I've seen how you looked at 'her.'" Cree hissed, stepping closer to Lightning the way a shark moves toward a scuba diver to protect his territory. "That Adriane THING. You stare at her like she's an all you can eat buffet table and you've been on a 90 day hunger strike. You crave her in the most disgusting ways like she's some… Some…" Cree hissed under his breath, not able to find the word.

Lightning frowned. "That's not fair. I really cared for her."

"Care."

"What?" Lightning blinked. "CARE?"

"You still CARE for her, Lightning. Stop being a prick." Cree kicked a box of drugs. "You know, I don't stare at Lilith that way. Lilith is a GODDESS. She's the divine figure. I don't see her as some sex object, because that's just disgusting. She's pure and virtuous and _if you ever touch her_..."

"What if I do?" Lightning laughed.

Cree's hand made his way back to Lightning's neck again. "IF YOU DO, you're going to have to feel something worse than what you felt when Lilith attacked you. Because then you're going to see horrible things you never thought were real."

"Like what?" Lightning choked, smirking.

"Let's just say Adriane won't be the least of your worries."

Lightning gasped again when Cree's hand let go of his neck.

"YOU WOULDN'T DARE!" Lightning roared and lunged after him.

Cree blocked his attack and sent the boy crashing against the wall. "Well, try not to tick me off."

The redhead started to stomp out of the vast warehouse room. "I'm going to get myself some food. Have fun spying on that Adriane object of yours and her pathetic little friends."

* * *

_**Flamers and people that don't review will be stuffed into a uniform and be forced to perform in the Halo 3 game. While trying to run for their lives. And their corpses will be teabagged, and will be cracked like a nut by a squirrel and stored for the winter. In a tree. That he lives… In.**_

_**Anyway, I have a contest going on my deviantart account! If you want to see more updates and win a deviantart subscription and other prizes, go to my account and click the featured deviation with Lilith drawn in red for the rules!! KEEP IT REAL!**_


	9. Chapter 8

Disclaimer: I REGRET NOTHING

Disclaimer: I REGRET NOTHING

* * *

Becky, did NOT like the sight she was seeing

* * *

"_HEY BECKY! I got you the perfect cure for a hangover! Persimmons!"_

…

"_Becky?"_

"_That stupid bastard hasn't proposed yet." The tan girl muttered from the couch with a scowl._

"_Oh Becky, cut it out." Adriane sat in the love seat with her best friend. "I mean, I know that you know that he's going to propose eventually. I mean, I knew he was going to propose when he gave you that promise ring when you were both fifteen."_

"_BUT I KNOW HE'S GOING TO NOW!" Becky roared in a rusky voice. "I mean, I found a Shane's company receipt in his room, and then remember those dinner plans he made last night? I-!"_

"_Oh, Becky. You though they were just for you and him?" Adriane's face fell as Becky covered her face with the blanket._

"_How was I supposed to know that the whole affair was some façade for a coping mechanism! I mean, 'a nice dinner with everyone to kick of the rest of our future and welcome our new team mate Donna.' I mean, how LAME!" Becky grabbed a persimmon and bit into it. _

"_Becky, the guy is trying to get over the fact that his only family member betrayed him and tried to attack him."_

"_I know, but-!"  
_

"_And with the way you acted last night and with what you said to him, it's not getting any better." Adriane put her feet up on Becky's coffee table and sulked._

"_I was DRUNK!"_

"_Well calling your boyfriend a 'ridiculous coward that can't handle life' is a little-!"  
_

"_DRUNK!" Becky sighed. "I know Gan is upset-!"_

"_Who?"  
_

"_Gan. Your titans member?"_

"_My what now?"_

"_Gan! He's- OH sorry. I'm talking about Thunder. He hasn't told you about his real name, has he?"_

"_Obviously. When'd he tell you?"_

"_A while ago. Actually, after we met." Becky recalled, remembering how the two were love struck and naive, and ending up growing together as a whole. "It was something where he was trying to impress me, but I still called him Thunder after a while until we got serious because he asked me to call him that. I like Gan better than Thunder, too. It suits him better." The Hispanic girl sighed again. "I LIKE how Gan was close to Lightning. It gave him ground, and they're BROTHERS, I mean, you can't just let that go! Lightning's a douche but I've got major respect for him. Except for the whole-"_

"_YES WE KNOW." Becky watched Adriane sulk even more. "God, I can't believe that bastard left the team…" She looked at Becky. "What's Lightning's real name?"_

"_What? Why?"  
_

"_I dunno. I'm curious."_

"_It's Tavis." Becky rolled her eyes. She saw Adriane look away, staring off into space with an expression she NEVER wanted to see on her face again._

_Becky gagged again and tried a persimmon. "God, you'd think I was knocked up with how much PUKE I've produced toda- WHAT?" She furrowed her brow when Adriane gave her a puzzled look._

"_Have you missed your period?"_

"_I dunno." Becky took another persimmon from her half-Asian friend._

"_Don't you guys use birth control?"_

"_Well, yeah. We sort of do but not really." She rolled her eyes_

"_When was the last time you took the pill?"_

"_I remember my college roommate lending me some of hers for a few days."_

"_LENDING?"_

"_Well, okay. I took a few and replaced them with baby aspirin."_

"_What's that?" Adriane scoffed_

"_Baby aspirin! You know, little pills for babies. Anyway, I couldn't use them any more after she got pregnant and had to mov-MFFT! Oh God!" Becky jumped up in her pajama wearing glory and ran to the bathroom._

_The two girls waited in the bathroom for half an hour as Becky nearly puked her guts out. At the final gag of the hour, Adriane spoke up. "Heeeeeeeeeeey! I have a dandy idea! Let's take you to the doctor!"_

"_What ki-ack! … What kind?" Becky spit into the toilet again to get the vomit taste out of her mouth._

"_I dunno. The friendly kind. The… motherly kind..."_

"_..Motherly-?!"_

"_Planned parent hood?"_

"… _I'm not pregnant, Adriane."_

"_Well let's go prove that your not! And I mean… You have looked a little… Puffier… Lately."_

"_YOU LITTLE-!"_

"_I'll buy you pizza on the way home after, just please don't hit me!"_

_After an hour long walk of stumbling and puking near sewer drains and behind trees, the two finally ended up at the doctors office lobby. Adriane had taken the liberty of reading a "What to Expect When Your Expecting" magazine from under a side table. Becky just stared at the children playing on the ground and their round mommies in near horror._

"_Hey here's something interesting." Adriane elbowed her friend a bit to get her attention. "15 of all pregnancies end in miscarriage, sometimes so early that the woman carrying the child had no idea she was pregnant. 22 experience one or more complications..."_

_**Okay, it's okay. I'm probably just really hung over, not pregnant. I mean, I CAN'T be pregnant! Besides, what kind of person- oh shit, I had five drinks last night… **__Becky remembered in horror how alcohol was dangerous to an unborn child and she nearly gagged._

"…_12 are born prematurely…"_

_**I can't be pregnant.**_

"…_3 are born with defects…"_

_**I mean, what's the worse that could happen?**_

"_And 0.2 die before their first birthday."_

_**SHIT I'm a baby killer!**_

"_Becky Lopez?"  
_

_Becky was too busy staring at the floor in horror to notice the doctor calling her name. The lady doctor stared at Becky, knowing better and she rolled her eyes._

"_Oh, for Christs sake, Becky!" Adriane grabbed her arm and pulled her toward the room. "You are NOT going to have a flipper baby!"_

* * *

"The fact that you've been puking so much this morning has more to do with the fact that you're hungover." The doctor handed Becky back the positive pregnancy test. "However, this one night may not effect the fetus at all. The first signs of pregnancy are just more to let the mother know she's pregnant, so now you know not to drink again. Since this was your first time in about 6 months drinking, and you're probably 3 or four months pregnant, I'd say you're okay. Come in with your boyfriend soon. I'll be up at the front to schedule an appointment for you." The doctor excused herself and hurried out the second she heard two interns fighting.

"I'm not pregnant." Becky meekly insisted. She stuck the test in Adriane's face. "I mean, it's a little thing of two lines crossing and not being parallel. And you turn it over and it's an 'x'. So wouldn't an 'x' mean 'no'?"

"No, Becky. It means your pregnant." Adriane rolled her eyes.

"B-b-but-but –but -!"

"But, what Becky?" Adriane huffed.

"… But noooooo!"

"Oh, Becky. Look. YOU ARE PREGNANT and you have a little life inside of you, and Thunder is going to be thrilled."

"I'm 21 years old!"

"And Thu- I mean, Gan is 22. And that makes you two the age where your mother would be FAR from pissed off at you for being preggers."

"But-!"

"Hey! You and my mother can be pregnancy buddies! Of course, she's gotten over morning sickness already and working on yoga for work outs with my dad."

"Ugh." Becky sighed. "Gan is already pissed at me. How do I tell him. "Oh, hi! I'm sorry I called you a dick last night and got drunk. By the way, I just found out I'm pregnant! Isn't that grand'?"

"… Call him up."

"What?"

"But don't mention the part about you being pregnant. Just say that you're at the doctors for a hang over cure and that you love him. And you never meant a word you said last night."

"Sounds good." Becky nodded.

One phone call later with exchanges of pet names and lovey dovey words, Becky hung up, a relieved smile on her face. "Now what- WHAT THE HELL! DON'T PULL MY PANTS DOWN!"

Adriane laughed. "Okay, I got a good enough picture of your butt. By the way, may I say that those are cute panties?"

"Oh thanks!"

"Now I-!"

"You'll what?"

Adriane gave Becky a pertly smile and started typing something in her phone. When she was finished, she showed the text to her friend.

"If you like Becky's buns, wait until you see what in her oven- ADRIANE!"

"Brilliant, right?"

"That's so crassI LOVE IT."

"Okay aaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaannnnd SEND!"

* * *

"So are you thinking about breaking up with her?" Lukane asked his blue team mate.

Thunder sighed. "No, I don't want to break up with her. Ever." He shook his head. "I'm happy she apologized, even though what she said last night was true about me being a-!"

"A ridiculous coward that can't handle life'?" Donna Troy stepped in with her coffee mug. "No offense, but to me this girl seems like a real package."

"Yeah. She's hard to deal with but I LOVE HER. And I don't care that she gets mad sometimes because she can handle me being a wuss. And I love her, you know...? Last night I was going to… Oh forget it."

"Going to what?" Lukane sat at the edge of his seat as Donna motioned for him to keep going.

"I was going to propose to her last night. I wanted us all to be there, but-"

_beep_

"What the?" Thunder grabbed his cell phone and looked at it. "It's Adriane."

"She's probably telling you that Becky loves you or something." Donna rolled her eyes.

"I think you know my own sister more than I do." Lukane gave the new member a pertly smile. "So what's the text say, Thunder? Uh- Hey Thunder?"

Thunder stared at his phone in near shock.

"Thunder, how's Becky?"

Thunder looked up at the two. "Can you both keep a secret?"

"PFFT no." Donna rolled her eyes

"BECKY AND I ARE HAVING A BABY!" Thunder jumped up in joy and grabbed Lukane, squeezing the life out of him in a bear hug of joy.

"CAN'T BREATHE!" Lukane choked.

* * *

_**FLAMERS AND NON REVIEWERS WILL BE IMPREGNANTED BY A PERSIMMON SHAPED FLIPPER BABY**_ whether you're a girl or not _**AND TORTUROUSLY HUGGED BY THUNDER! Have a nice life! :D**_


	10. Chapter 9

Disclaimer: I own Adriane, Lukane, and the very cute dress I am wearing right now, but I do NOT own Teen Titans! D:

* * *

:3

* * *

Adriane looked up at Terra and tried to grasp this new feeling of utter ache. How could this be fixed? Not easily, that's for sure.

"Do you think it's because he was brainwashed?" She was finally able to spit out.

"It's been four months already, Adriane! _Get over it!_," Terra barked

"Should we go back and get him?"

"No, that would just stir up more ruckus; he _should have _gotten his act back already,"

"It's the 'should have' and 'already' that worries me," Adriane sighed and walked back into the commons.

Thunder was sitting with Becky as the two argued in the kitchen. The two looked at each other

"How are you feeling?" Adriane asked, trying to act casual despite the emotional rollercoaster that her brain was riding.

"I'm okay, considering I still have a bump the size of Pluto on my skull from a few nights ago," Thunder replied with a dull smile.

"Be thankful that's the only injury you have," Adriane lied. "I mean honestly. You didn't get hurt when we tried to stop Lightning and that red headed dude tried to blow up that building, oh _no_! But when you we were going to the video store and you slipped on that icee-!"

"Yeah I know," Thunder sighed, putting an arm around Becky's waist. She seemed a bit upset too. The blue boy just averted his attention to Becky's rounder-than-usual tummy with a smile on his face. "Just thank God your daddy didn't hit his head too hard. I think your mom was a little too worried at the time herself." At that Becky just laughed.

"By the way, I think Uncle Lukane needs glasses." Thunder told Becky's little bundle of joy, trying to change the subject.

Becky looked up at him from sipping her Jones Root Beer. She shifted her legs in the love seat she was sitting in and looked at him, somewhat perplexed. "What makes you think that?

"Well…" He scooted closer. "He was watching the clothes in the washing machine the other day and thought he was watching a wrestling match on TV." He said. Becky laughed and Adriane sighed, angry.

"Adriane, don't you have to get ready for that Milo dude?" She hissed at the raven haired girl.

Adriane glared at her. "Don't you have something else better to do?" She hissed

"Well he was perfectly nice enough to ask you out to the movies after 5 months of shy flirting. Don't mess this up."

"I really don't want to go out with-!"

"GO GET READY!" Becky snapped. "And take a shower! You reek!"

"Becky, getting upset probably isn't good for out love child." Thunder said cautiously.

Adriane scoffed in disgust and stomped into the hallway, running into Lukane.

"HEY! Adriane!" He smiled. "You should see the new TV we have in the laundry room. I just saw this great wrestling ma- HEY don't kick me!"

"I'm taking a three month shower."

"Try three minutes. Your date is in an hour!"

"GO EAT A DICK, YOU DOUCHE! IT'S GOING TO BE THREE MONTHS!"

"But the new TV never works when the water in another room is on!"

Soon the half-Asian girl stood under the strong pulse of the showerhead and tried to think of what could possibly be the silver lining. Water fell against her forehead and dripped into her eyes, stinging them.

Lightning really wasn't on the bad side, right? People in movies, books, and everything else who left the good side always came back, and they always got their common sense back didn't they? Even though that was fictional stuff…no! Optimism is a must here! Lightning will come back! And if the same chain of events followed what had happened over six years ago, Lightning would fall in love with her again and sweep her off her feet.

Why the heck did Lightning do that anyway?

Surely she hadn't been treating him too bad that day she left, had she? Becky had treated her so terribly and had teased her about not being a full grown adult and asking him out. Of course, Becky didn't know what it was like to not know if someone liked them or not. She didn't mean to yell at Lightning so harshly. She just wanted to make sure it wasn't obvious that she liked him.

Maybe Becky, Thunder, Lukane and the rest of the internet fan-base were all wrong. Maybe Lightning DIDN'T like her like that. She couldn't really blame him though. She looked down at herself in the shower and frowned at what she saw.

_There is nothing humiliating about double 'A' breasts. _She assured herself. _ I mean, it's not like all guys are attracted to the Victoria secret franchise. Maybe some guys find the whole fairy look to be attractive. Milo does. And if Lightning doesn't then too bad for him. I LIKE my somewhat delicate frame. And getting mistaken as a 14 year old boy with hair that's too long on the train isn't so bad either. Children's tickets at the movie theater are much cheaper anyway._

Feeling much better, Adriane shut off the shower and dried off. She didn't care if everyone would wonder why she was suddenly so happy to go on her date with Milo. She'd never say why, but it'd be because he likes flat chested girls.

* * *

"Say, Cree… Uh…"

"Look, Lightning. I don't care what nasty things you have to say about me and Lilith. I've told you a thousand-!"

"Actually…" Lightning kicked the newspaper on the matted old carpet. "How'd you meet Lilith?"

"… Where's the punch line?"

"I'm not kidding- OW!" A piece of old ceiling tile fell onto his head. The abandoned apartment building didn't really stabilize itself that well. It was crumbling apart and made it hard to live in. Cree just laughed.

"No, I'm serious Cree." Lightning answered. "How'd you come to know Lilith and get here? To Metal Town?"

"It's a long story."

"I'll listen."

"Fine." Cree sat down on the old floor and Lightning sat 5 feet away.

"I'm not sure what state we lived in. I think it was some place in the southwest. There was desert everywhere. Anyway, I was part of this huge clan that was the opponent of that thing's-."

'Adriane's."

"… Her clan. Anyway, I don't remember much before the time I met her, except for the fact that I wasn't allowed to play with anything or anyone. And my mom yelled at me a lot. I was around 11 when I met her. You know, Lilith. I don't know what happened when I saw her, but I knew that I was happy after that. Lilith created this peace inside of me that I never had before.

"She was four around the time- "

"WHOA, WHOA, WHOA." Lightning stopped him there, an exasperated look on his face. "Four? You knew her when she was FOUR?"

"Yeah, I was twelve when she was four."

"You fell in love with a three year old."

"…Yes."

"Cree, that's called being a pedophile."

"… Look, I don't know what that means."

"It's just-! Never mind, keep going." Lightning sighed. Cree just rolled his eyes and continued.

"At four years old, Lilith didn't know how to control herself. I was constantly trying to help her control her ways and protect her, but everyone would hound her all of the time. She's a goddess and everyone wanted to get closer and closer to her to feel peace. It made her angry and scared all of the time and soon she…" Cree stopped, pressing his lips firmly together.

"She what?"

"I remember hearing her scream from the inside of the house. She was particularly upset that day and I figured getting her a flower from outside would make her happy. But when I ran inside, everyone else in the house but she was dead. Her powers manifested and everyone's heart exploded, I think. There was so much blood. I didn't know much then, except that police officers would come by once in a while to see what was going on. I think they were looking for signs of child abuse. I didn't want them to take her away, so… I packed up a few things; food, water, money and a blanket and I ran off with her.

"The next few years we lived on the street of urban cities. I'd hide with her in warehouse closets during the nightly hours to keep her safe. I didn't want anyone touching her. She was so tiny and fragile that some thug could have grabbed her and broken her arm. When ever I went to steal food, I'd have to lock her away to keep her safe and pray that she'd be okay when I got back.

"I remember one night I had hidden out in an old hotel with her. The keeper didn't know we were hiding in the hotel room wardrobe that night, so he rented it to some guys, and all they did that night was fight. There were gun shots and screaming. There were sirens and other loud noises outside, so the two couldn't hear Lilith crying." Cree let his face fall into his face. "Oh, God… I remember her crying. So was so, so frightened. And I couldn't even get her to stop. All I could do was hold her as the me fought each other, and try to tell her it would be alright.

"And the next morning a group of nuns found us as they made their way on their mission trip. They took pity on us and took us in at their orphanage, and we went to their Catholic school. There Lilith met up with other kids her age. It was too late for me to make friends, though. I was 15, and I didn't know how to correspond with people. Lilith was always my friend, though. She could always make me smile. We'd walk to school hand in hand, even when she was nine and I was seventeen.

"Of course, I finally graduated and got my own apartment. Around this time, Lilith went through… Changes and she started to become more assertive. She asked me questions about Otchid and I told her, then she told me that she wanted to leave the orphanage and school, to find out about The Order and her powers. So… We did. And we ended up here."

"But… Why are you attacking Adriane and Lukane?"

"We're only planning to so far. And I refuse to tell you anymore. You're just getting nosy. You can worry about that THING later, okay?" Cree started to stand up

"HER NAME IS ADRIANE!" Lightning bellowed as he jumped up.

"IT'S NAME IS IRRELAVENT. Got it?" The red-head barked back with a snarl.

Lightning stayed silent and nodded.

* * *

"So what is Lilith doing anyway?"

Cree looked up from the parchment and sighed through his nose.

"You little twit. We've gone through this before."

"Don't call me twit!" Lightning blew a raspberry at him.

Cree looked down at the paper for a moment longer before looking back at Lightning.

"Fine. I'll tell you."

Lightning stepped away from the wall and looked at him.

"She's recruiting members to join us."

"How'd she manage to do that?" Lightning scoffed.

"She has amazing ways of telling people what the right thing to do is." Cree smiled proudly.

"That's all she's doing?"

Cree's smile frowned.

"She's also getting drugs."

"WHAT?!"

"No, not THOSE kind. I mean, creatin and other stuff. For you."

Lightning furrowed an eye brow. "For… For me? WHAT."

"It's to make you stronger." Cree scoffed. "You are a weakling after all. But Lilith saw potential in you. We're going to make you stronger, and then Lilith will be able to give you new powers."

"Power…?" Lightning smiled a bit. "What kind?"

"Why must you ask so many-?!"

"This is cool!" Lightning smiled. "Come on, tell me!"

Cree rolled his eyes. "You'll be able to do the same as me. You can become invisible when you want, and hear things better. That…" Cree smiled. "Here's a favorite of mine. You can make people hallucinate and impair their judgement. My favorite thing to do with people is make them think that they're in a surreal world of peace, then throw them in a horrific place before killing them."

Lightning swallowed. "That's… Uh, a lot."

"Just be prepared to feel different. That's the hardest part. You may not feel like yourself for a while, and then you'll feel fine. But if you're ever off your drugs, even ONCE, you're body will reject what's left over in your system around the scheduled dosage time slot rolls around. It's not pretty."

"Wow, thanks for that." Lightning rolled his eyes, but he smiled. He was excited for this…

* * *

"What were your parents like?"

Cree scoffed and buried his head in the pillow.

"You've been asking me questions for the past 5 weeks."

"Well, I'd ask Lilith, but she's been gone for a month or two." Lightning looked up at the old ware house ceilings. "So, what were they like?"

Cree frowned.

"Cree…?"

"Terrible. Now go back to sleep." Cree buried his head into his pillow and was silent for the rest of the night.

Lightning's mind that night, however, was not.

* * *

_Lightning always wondered what it would be like to have a mom._

_In Husan, he never had a mother figure to look over him. The closet thing he ever had to his mom was stories of her kindness and beauty from Chan Ti. But when he tried to ask him when he needed comforting, Chan Ti would always reply "Shut up. It won't do you any good. Now no more questions."_

_He always imagined she'd be pretty and kind like everyone said she was. He decided that whenever he would cry or be sad, she would come over to him in long, purple robes and hold him in her arms until he was happy again. She would wipe away tears away from his eyes as she would wash away his worries with kind words._

_But now that he was 17, he was in desperate need for comfort. His brother had been mortally wounded in combat and he wanted someone to hold onto him and tell him it was okay as doctors operated on his only family member._

"_Lightning, calm down." Adriane scooted next to him as he sat on the hospital hallway floor. But he couldn't calm down. He felt hot tears stream down his pallid face as he tried to remind himself that only girls cried._

"_He's going to be okay, right?"_

"_Of course he is." Adriane put an arm over his shoulder, trying to comfort him. "The doctors said we got him here early, so there's no doubt that he'll live. It's a simple operation, Lightning."_

_The tall teenage boy sniffed and went to wipe away tears, but Adriane had taken care of that as she stroked her thumb across his cheek._

"_I can't help but be scared." Lightning murmured._

"_Because you saw him get hurt?"_

_The blond nodded._

"_I can see why. No one said you can't be scared or anything, even though the doctors said you shouldn't be." Adriane looked at him as he leaned his head on her shoulder. "But you SHOULD be allowed to feel what you need to. It's OKAY to be scared, Lightning. And it's okay to be sad."_

_Lightning had collapsed by now. He wrapped his arms around her waist and buried his face into the cloth of her cargo pants as he cried. As the raven-haired girl stroked his hair and rubbed his shoulder to comfort him, he felt free to hold on tighter and cry more.

* * *

  
_

"Lightning…"

_I don't want to wake up. _He thought_. I like this dream. I'm not ready to get up. It's not even morning yet._

"Lightning…"

_Who the hell is calling my name anyway?_

"Lightning."

Lightning finally opened his eyes, finding himself face to face with Lilith.

"WHOA!" Lightning gasped in surprise.

The pale boy had awoken to find Lilith sitting next to him in his little sleeping area on the floor. Minus the practically half naked girl before him, the floor was completely covered with newspapers, so there wasn't much cushioning.

"Uh…." Lightning swallowed. "Welcome back."

"Why were you crying in your sleep?"

Lightning blushed.

"Was I?"

Lilith nodded.

"Uh….Uh, where's Cree?" Lightning asked, looking around. Lilith just rolled her eyes and made him look at her again

"Were you dreaming about Adriane?"

"How'd you-?!"

"I thought you hated her for not treating you how you deserved." Lilith put on a saddened façade.

"I DO! I just…" Lightning swallowed. "I don't know how to… you know. Give her what she deserves."

Lightning's pallid eyes were avid as Lilith smirked down at him; it gave him goose bumps how her mismatched eyes were so intent on his face.

"Silly Lightning" she cooed, kneeling before him. "Use your imagination… How do you hurt those who have hurt you?"

She ran a nail delicately along Lightning's jaw, making him shudder.

"I could help you." Lilith moved her lips close to his ear, relishing in the fine shivers she could feel through their contact. "If you let me, of course."

"Will you?" He asked, quirking an eyebrow.

She tilted her head and gazed at him with a look of mock sadness, as though she would truly be sad if Lightning refused her.

Gaze fixated on her mouth, Lightning nodded.

This did not escape Lilith, the nod, nor where Lightning's eyes lingered.

"Do you like me?" she smiled, her voice dripping with poisonous sweet.

And Lightning, as resilient as he was to such things, gave into his desires and nodded mutely.

Her grin widening to Cheshire proportions, Lilith placed a finger beneath Lightning's chin and tipped it up, examining him as though he were her prize.

All in all, it made him feel a little dizzy.

Moving her face within a hair's breadth of Lightning's face, Lilith ran her fingers throughout the other's soft hair, practically mouthing words against his lips.

"I'm much better than Adriane, and I could give you what you want, Lightning. Tell me what you want"

Lightning remained silent, shocked into the state by what the girl before him was offering.

"Or would you rather show me?"

"Yes"

Barely a breath spoken by Lightning before he closed what little of a gap there was with his mouth, relishing the immediate response he received.

"Eager, aren't you?" Lilith chuckled, tracing her nail along one of Lightning's pale eyebrows "does Adriane not give you the love you deserve?" she added in a baby voice.

"Not a chance" Lightning sounded scathed.

"What a waste. Well not to worry, I won't disappoint"

"That's what I'm counting on"

"You see" Lilith sounded breathless "I know what you've done, your love of destruction, you don't belong with your brother and those fools, you belong here with me"

Silence met these words, but in Lightning's eyes were the truth. He believed Lilith, he believed in the sweet poisons dripping tantalizing from her lips and into his ears, but even more, he believed his hormones and neediness and how both were telling him how lovely the girl before him looked.

Never had he seen the like, and never had he wanted something so much.

So, acting on this, he wrapped his arms shakily around her lithe frame and buried his mouth against her skin.

He pressed his lips to her pale body, ravishing the chilly flesh against his...

"Do you agree?" Lilith finally added "do you wish to be beside me?"

And in other places...

"Of course" A hateful smile crept onto Lightning's face "What fun you make it sound..."

"Then would you like more?"

Breathing a chuckle, he nodded, his eyes darkening with greed. Of course he did, what a foolish question.

"Then tell me and you can have anything."

Lightning murmured a single word, one phrase that made Lilith's heart leap and her desire for the boy deepen.

"Well if you insist." She chuckled, running a hand up his chest

"Tell me Tavis-"

Lightning started at the sound of his real name.

"-Oh yes, I know your real name, but tell me, how badly do you want me?"

He said something Lilith didn't quite catch, but she grinned and clutched his shoulders.

"Sorry didn't get that." she purred.

"Badly." He repeated a dull flush rising on cheeks.

Laughing at his sudden childishness, Lilith finished undressing herself, the thin fabric slinking away.

"Now the fun part."

"Fun..." Lightning sounded as though he found this all very surreal. "Hell yeah."

* * *

_**REVIEW YOU LITTLE DUMMIES **_8D


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